[pitteach]

Thanks to all for the info. I am making a point to get this done in the next month or so. As 12 ounce says, I hate to have this let loose on a vacation trip or when my wife is out with the kids. It looks like a bloody knuckle job so I'm going to try and take care of as much as I can while I'm in there. The van has 83,000mi on it but I still may replace the pump while I'm there. Looking at these pipes, I could easily see how they become "melded" to the water pump by corrosion. I am afraid to even touch them as they look like they are going to disintegrate. I am also going to replace the belt and I have a steering pump that looks like it is spraying a little fluid. Any other suggestions while I'm in there?
Another thing, is there anything I can do to prevent these new pipes from rotting? I'm assuming that Ford did not redesign these pipes so I expect to have the same problem in the future.